The Night Before
by Rain16
Summary: [ COMPLETE ] How did things end up where they did? [ RA ... prequel to The Morning After ]
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **Woohoo, you all put up with my craziness enough to want to hear more of my drivel! All right. This is the official prequel to The Morning After, and it is called, obviously, The Night Before. So… We'll see if it was worth it…

"The Night Before"

by Rain

**Chapter One**

"Dear Ranma-kun," the fateful notes began, in Kasumi's neat hand.

"I'm afraid you and Akane-chan will have to hold down the fort for the rest of the day." Ranma could almost hear Kasumi say "Oh, my."

"Please try to keep Akane-chan from breaking anything too valuable. Oh, and would you also be careful and try not to get Akane-chan too upset; I just bought a new frying pan, as the last one was quite useless, after she hit you over the head with it…

"As you already know, Nabiki, Otousan and Saotome-san won't be back today. As for myself, a good friend of mine who lives in Tokyo has been taken ill, and I am going to spend a few days with her there, and try and help her recover. Otousan and Saotome-san most likely will be a while, and Nabiki will go straight to school with her friend Michiko tomorrow morning.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me – I've left the number for where I'm staying by the phone in the hall – but I'm sure you and Akane-chan will be just fine. I've left plenty of food in the fridge; you and Akane-chan can just reheat it. 

"Not that I ever need to ask, Ranma-kun, but take good care of Akane-chan for us. Thank you, see you in a few days, and good luck!

"Love, Kasumi

"P.S. The weather report last night predicted some snow, so be sure to dress warmly."

Ranma set the note back down on the dining table where Kasumi had left it.

_Well,_ he thought, _this is bound to be an …interesting weekend._

***           *           ***

"Kasumi-oneechan?"

Ranma looked up towards the stairs as Akane came down, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and wearing nothing but a fluffy yellow bathrobe and slippers. Ranma blushed, although he tried not to show it. It wasn't his fault, if Akane didn't always look good, no matter what she wore, it wouldn't have been a problem.

"Ranma!" she jumped as she first noticed him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"It's not that early. It's past nine."

"I wonder why Kasumi-oneechan didn't wake me…" Akane said thoughtfully. Ranma was about to hand her the note when she looked around, not hearing any of the usual sounds of the house, and suddenly asked "Where is everyone?"

"Um, yeah, I guess we've got the house to ourselves," Ranma said distractedly, his hand behind his head. "Pop and Tendo-san scurried off on some "training trip," something about burying Happosai under another large rock. I thought Nabiki told you she was spending the night at her friend's house? What's her name, Idunno, Makiko? Minako?..."

"Michiko, I think," Akane said, taking the note Ranma held out to her. "Oh," she said, after reading it. "I hope Kasumi-oneechan's friend is all right. I don't think she would go out of her way unless it was serious…"

"Well, you know Kasumi, any excuse to mother someone. It's just her thing, I guess," Ranma replied.

"Hmm," Akane said, preoccupied. 

"So…" Ranma said timidly. "Uh, what were you going to do today? As far as I can tell, they'll all be gone for the rest of the day, so I was probably just going to train this afternoon or something… But I dunno what I'm going to do the rest of the night…er…" Ranma realized a fraction of a second too late what he had just said, as Akane's head snapped up and she gave him a strange look. _Oh shit. I'm dead. "Um, yeah… Hooray for awkward pauses…" Akane just shook her head and decided to ignore the comment for the moment._

"…Well, Sayuri invited me to come look at a new bookshop in town. I won't be gone very long," she added, somehow correctly interpreting Ranma's silence.

Akane put the note down, and stretched languorously. Ranma, staring at his feet, cleared his throat awkwardly.

"You should probably get, er, dressed…"

"Oh!" Akane blushed suddenly, and darted back upstairs.

Ranma sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. _This is going to be a long day…_

Reserved Author's Blabbing Space:

Rain:Ok, don't kill me, I promise there's a plot, this is just the start! 

Everyone: You made it seem like such a big deal! It'd better not suck!

Rain: *does the oyakusoku pozu* Ok, ok, gimme a break. You should be grateful, this chapter was originally going to be cut off where you see the little "***               *     *" **but I strung it together with Chapter Two, just for you! So, there. Until tomorrow! Hint: Reviews are greatly appreciated, lol. I'm not subtle or anything…

::Rain


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** I still have to do this? *sighs* Fine, fine. I don't own Ranma. Don't sue me until I get rich. Which will be later, when I have my OWN comic series, muahaha! *ahem*

"The Night Before"

by Rain

**Chapter Two**

Ranma walked sluggishly into the kitchen that afternoon, bored in the empty house.

Heaving a sigh, he moved to open the fridge door, intent on getting food. _Food is good when you're bored,_ he thought.

As he was about to open it, however, another note in Kasumi's handwriting caught his eye. _Another note?_ I guess I didn't see it at breakfast. _Plucking it from under the magnet, he read:_

"Ranma-kun--

There are some leftovers for breakfast, and dinner to reheat in the microwave. Although there was to be snow today, it's sure to be sunny after the storm has blown itself out, and I'm sure it will be a lovely day. If Akane is home from shopping in time, you might take her out to lunch. Just a thought.

--Kasumi

P.S. If you'd like some ice cream later, I've prepared everything for the recipe. Akane knows how to make it. Don't worry, there's no actual cooking involved. Enjoy."

Just as Ranma was wondering about Kasumi's suggestion about lunch, he heard Akane in the entryway.

"Tadaima!" her voice floated in as she took off her snow boots.

Ranma met her in the hall, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Ranma. Weren't too bored, were you?" She was disentangling her arms from her down jacket, as she spoke. She was wearing gray leggings, and an oversize cream sweater with a large neck hole. The gray mittens came off next. 

"Nah," he said, leaning on the doorframe. Strangely enough, he seemed to have lost his appetite, only to have it replaced with a bit of, nervousness, was it? He wasn't sure. "Say, Akane… You haven't eaten anything yet, have you? 'Cuz I was wondering, if you haven't already had lunch, maybe you'd wanna go grab something with me?"

"Oh," Akane said, looking slightly downcast. "Well, I sort of already ate with Sayuri, but--"

Ranma was a bit discouraged by that, until suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Or, we could just make some ice cream? I'm not all that hungry anyway, and Kasumi left some stuff so we could make some, if you like…"

"Sure!" Akane said, her eyes lighting up just enough so that Ranma rewarded her with one of his quirky smiles.   

They darkened, however, when Ranma confusedly pulled a large American-style coffee can out of the freezer, and a wave of memories overtook her. "Um, I'm not sure what Kasumi had in mind when she…" Ranma caught a glimpse of Akane's face. "Akane? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. …That coffee can is for making the ice cream, actually. …Okaasan used to help Kasumi-oneechan, Nabiki and I make it…"

Realization struck Ranma, a bit late, as usual. "Akane, we don't have to do it, if you don't want to, I mean--"

"No, it's fine," she said, stopping Ranma from putting the can away. She smiled again, but it wasn't forced, Ranma was glad to see. "I can show you how to make it now."

Ranma couldn't help smiling back.

Akane shuffled out of the kitchen in her socks. Carrying the can with her, she called back into the kitchen as she went back to the entryway to put her boots, coat and mittens back on. "Be sure to put a jacket on or something, there's at least a foot of snow out there!"

"Yeah, I'll be right out!" he replied, going up the stairs to his room.

_Maybe this day won't be so bad after all,_ he thought, smiling again. It seemed he'd been smiling more since Akane came back home, strangely enough.

***           *           ***

Ranma and Akane sat outside the dining room, alongside the closed screen doors, rolling the coffee can back and forth between them, exchanging pleasant small talk. The sun had recently decided to peek out from behind the puffy white clouds crowding the now-blinding blue sky.

"So, you just roll the can like this?" Ranma asked, pushing it to Akane from where he sat Indian style across from her. Akane, who had discarded her down jacket, caught it between her spread legs, and nodded.

"…Yeah, that's basically it. You do it for… I don't know, exactly… Kasumi-oneechan, Nabiki and I used to do it forever …Okaasan showed us how to make it, but all I remember is this part. I'm surprised Kasumi-oneechan remembered how, she must have been pretty young then, because I was very small when Okaasan was still well…" The dark look came back, but only just, as she looked down at her mittened* hands.

"Akane…" She looked back up at him, and noticed something she hadn't before. How she could have missed it, she didn't know. 

Ranma was wearing his usual Chinese shirt, no jacket or anything; she supposed after traveling so long he was rather used to all kinds of weather. The only two things that were characteristic of the weather were the mittens and the scarf. The yellow, tattered, badly sewn scarf.

_My scarf…_ she remembered. _He's wearing the scarf I made him…_

"…I'm sorry about your mother," he said. "I'm sure you've heard that a lot, but I feel like at least I should say it, of all people. It probably bothers you that even though I still have my mother, I was…" he knitted his eyebrows together in frustration. "I was too much of a coward to reveal this whole curse mess. You can't see your mother anymore, but I can, and I didn't for so long. At least, not exactly. Didn't that bother you at all?"

Akane didn't really know what to say to that. It was obviously a sensitive subject for Ranma, but she felt they had enough in common on that subject that she could sympathize with him. "Well, to be honest, it did, sort of, in the beginning of the whole "cousin Ranko" fiasco… but it didn't really in the end. I mean, we were sort of in the same situation… we were both without a mother for the larger part of our lives, but then again it's reversed at the same time. I knew my mother when I was growing up, until she died, but you don't remember being with yours when you were little. You see her now, though. But it's not your fault that your father makes stupid promises whenever he pleases, and leaves you to deal with them instead."

"But it _is_ my fault that I didn't tell her about it for so long," Ranma said, looking angry with himself. "I should have stopped hiding and told her the truth first thing. That's what a brave person would have done."

"But Ranma, you were brave. You are. Twice you risked her finding out about everything to rescue her, and twice you did the right thing."

"That's easier than trying to count all the times I _didn't do the right thing," he said morosely._

"Ranma, I couldn't bring myself to be bothered by all the secrecy when I stood by and watched all the times you got to see your mother, but you couldn't be her son. I have a feeling, in some ways, that's harder on you than it is for me to miss my own mother. They're not entirely the same thing, but they're not so different either."

Akane leaned forward and spoke reassuringly. "If you're trying to bully yourself into thinking you're not a good person Ranma, don't bother, because you are. You're one of the only people I know around here who doesn't resort to underhanded trickery or dishonest tactics, at least, not unless you're challenged to," she amended, smiling. She stood up, taking the coffee can with her, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You've always been very honest when you're ready to be, and as strange as it sounds, you're probably the most decent guy I've ever met, aside from Toufuu-sensei. Even he had more years of practice than you."

And she walked into the kitchen with the coffee can.

Ranma thought about it a while. He supposed she did have a point. But Ranma had always been rather harsh on himself, and now was no exception, so he decided to just let Akane decide what she wanted to think about him and leave it at that.

AN: 

Rain: I know, "mittened" isn't a word, but I thought, gloved wasn't Akane, so I said mittened instead. I'd pull a "so sue me," but I don't want to tempt fate. There's a disclaimer! There is! Sort of…


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **Hmph, I refuse. I _do_ have better things to be doing. *sniffy voice* Ok, so maybe I don't. That's not the point. What can I say, I'm a rebel.

"The Night Before"

by Rain

**Chapter Three**

Akane was standing at the kitchen counter, scooping the freshly made ice cream into a couple of bowls, when an evil idea suddenly occurred to her. She smiled devilishly.

Ranma was still sitting outside on the edge of the patio, staring into space, apparently deep in thought, when Akane snuck back outside, and crept slowly to the right, behind him, and into the snow-covered yard.

Ranma was just starting to wonder what on earth Akane could be doing in the kitchen for so long, when a snowball went "whap!" into the back of his head.

Akane burst into laughter as he turned around to glare at her in mock anger. But he started laughing, too. "Snowballs, huh?" he laughed. "I don't think I've played around in the snow since I was… well, it was before I left home, so that was a while ago."

"Well, you'd better remember, or I'm going to pound you into the ground!" Akane shrieked as Ranma chucked one back at her.

A furious snowball fight ensued, as Ranma and Akane proceeded to pelt the living daylights out of one another with the fresh snow. 

"You'll never catch me!" Akane called, scooping up more of the white fluff between her mittens. 

"Oh, yeah?" Ranma laughed under his breath.

Before Akane even knew what was happening, Ranma had tackled her. The two of them tumbled to the ground, sending snow flying, wrestling halfheartedly and laughing madly for no apparent reason.

Finally Akane stopped laughing long enough to give in. "Stop! [wheeze] Stop, I surrender," she gasped, waving an imaginary white flag. 

It was just as well, Ranma had her arms pinned by then anyway. They lay there in the snow for a while, catching their breath, trying not to start another laughing fit. White, cold snow everywhere, all over the both of them. They were both flushed from the cold air, and their breath rose out into the air in little white clouds.

"You're… insane, Ranma," Akane panted.

"Well, you'd have to be crazy to be me," he replied airily, hardly even winded. It was strangely true.

_It's amazing… If I hadn't known better, I'd have never thought at first glance such a stand-offish guy was so laid back and full of energy,_ Akane thought to herself, smiling widely. "Is that so? Well I guess I'm crazy too, 'cause I like you, Ranma," she announced candidly. 

Ranma absentmindedly brushed a bit of snow off her slightly pink cheek. "You've got snow in your hair," he said distractedly.

Akane smirked. "I've got snow all over me. There's snow _everywhere, baka."_

"True," Ranma chuckled softly. His steel blue eyes softened as he smiled crookedly back down at her. "You know, I don't mind you too much, either, tomboy." 

He still hadn't moved his hand from the side of her face. They were both getting a bit chilled from lying in the snow so long. He shifted slightly in the snow, unconsciously moving a bit closer to her, and for one wild moment Akane thought he was going to kiss her.

Ranma seemed to realize how close he had somehow gotten to her too, because he moved back onto his heels, stood, and reached a hand down to help her up.

"We'd better get back inside, or we're going to freeze," he said softly.

Akane nodded, taking his hand and walking back into the house. 

_Relax, Akane,_ she told herself firmly. _You're just imagining things._

***           *           ***

The rest of the late evening passed as a pleasant haze, nothing particularly extraordinary happening. At least, not by the standards of a native of Nerima, that is.

Ranma was lounging around the main room when Akane shuffled downstairs, just out of the furo, toweling her hair, already in her yellow pajamas. She yawned widely, stopping to look at the news report Ranma was watching. Something about an explosion out in the mountains, involving some boulders and falling debris, a large panda, a middle-aged man, and what appeared to be a large moving sack of underwear. Akane shuddered. _ Who knows what kind of trouble they're getting into. Scratch that, I don't want to know._

"It's getting late," she said. 

"Yeah," Ranma said, turning around to look up at her. "I'll probably go to bed after the news. I wonder what in the name of Kami they're trying to pull out there." 

"Happosai's a virus, we'll never be rid of him," Akane sighed in agreement. "Well, oyasumi nasai." She started for the stairs. "Ne, Ranma?"

"Hm?" he turned in her direction again.

She considered him for a minute, then smiled. The sort of Akane smile that made Ranma flush a little.

"Thanks. …For today."

He smiled back. "You too. Oyasumi, ne."

"Hai, hai," she called over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs again, grinning.

Just as Ranma was about to shut off the TV, about half an hour later, a special news report came on. Curious, he hung back, watching the new feed for some sort of sky watch. 

Only minutes afterwards, he rushed upstairs, taking them two at a time. 

Amazingly, Ranma had an idea that just might not backfire.

AN: 

Rain: So I guess that's as cliffhanger-ish I'm going to get in this fic. Those who have read my others now can sigh in relief, lol.

So… Who knows if it snows in Nerima? I've only seen that one Ranma episode where they're walking in the snow with the umbrella (in some random OAV music video), and in the first 23 mangas it doesn't, so I'm assuming they either haven't covered that time of year, or it just doesn't snow there. Well wait, there was that one where Akane had the crutches, there was snow then. Ah, well. Either way, it was a silly idea, so I just decided "Ok, Kami, it now can officially snow in Nerima!" So there you go.

To jade: How crazy is this? I wrote The Morning After and The Night Before way back in February, when I first signed on to ff.net, and hadn't even figured out how to read stories, lol. Oh, I was so innocent and really rather dopey back then… *wistful sigh*

Readers: You're still dopey!

Rain: I know, I know. So anyway, I wrote them and promptly forgot about them, while writing "The Sound of Silence," "They" (*cringes* I _hate that one!), "Carousel: Usotsuki," and "Regarding Ranma." Then I actually started reading peoples' fics and reviewing them, not too long ago. Just last week, after I had re-written TMA and TNB, I read "Behind the Question" and "Could it Be?" and basically fell out of my chair. It's almost the exact same thing, in the snow! I laughed, it was such a bizarre coincidence. I wonder how often this happens to other people, or maybe I've just gone mad and think it's funny, who knows._

Readers: You've already gone mad, it's too late to start.

Rain: Shush. So, I thought I'd tell you about that, it's so strange! Me and my bizarre anecdotes. My life is… out there.

Hope you all liked this chapter, don't flame me, etc, there'll be more tomorrow!

::Rain

"Wild laughter without reason is best, because by that point you can be sure you've gone completely mad." –myself, and I am crazy, so it's only too true.

Readers: It's dorky to quote yourself. *laugh*

Rain: Well, I thought it was funny. But I didn't mean funny like _that…_

Until tomorrow!

::Rain


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: ***looks around suspiciously, a bag slung over her shoulder* Yes, I have successfully smuggled the characters of the Ranmaverse, and now is the time to cackle evilly! MUAHAHA!

Ok, so I didn't really. But wouldn't that be cool. SO they're not mine, ok? *sigh*

"The Night Before"

by Rain

**Chapter Four**

_Tap, tap, tap_. ****

Groaning, Akane turned over in bed and shoved her pillow over her face.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Oh, WHAT is it?!" Akane barked, disgruntled. It was bad enough she couldn't get any sleep; if Ranma had some crazy idea, she was just going to punt him out the window. She realized she hadn't done so all day.

_Well, maybe not out the window… Maybe through the door into the hall…_

Ranma took Akane's irritated answer as an invitation, and slid the window open, jumping down onto the carpet. 

"Akane," he whispered urgently, shaking her shoulder. "Akane, wake up."

Akane made an indistinct noise into her pillow, burying her face further, trying to ignore him.

"I'm not awake, baka."

"Yes, you are, now get up." Ranma tugged on her arm impatiently.

"What is wrong with you, it's …" Akane realized the clock was out of arms reach and she felt lazy and distinctly ruffled at being disturbed at this hour, whatever hour it happened to be. "It's … late. Early. Oh, I don't know, I don't care. Come on, Ranma, let me sleep."

"Please, Akane?"

"What are you doing in my room, anyway?" Akane was apparently more awake by this point.

Ignoring the question for obvious reasons, Ranma pulled on Akane's arm again. "Come on, I really want you to see this!"

"What?"

"Come on!"

"What? What are you all worked up about?"

"This is ridiculous," Ranma mumbled. Fed up with Akane's extreme capacity for stubbornness, Ranma simply hoisted her straight out of bed and jumped back out the window. Akane "eep"ed and squeezed her eyes shut.  

Landing gingerly on the roof, a familiar spot for him, Ranma knelt down and set Akane in front of him, sitting behind her. 

"Ranma, what on earth are you trying to--"

"Sshh," he said, pulling Akane back against him. "Keep your eyes closed."

Akane did as he asked, feeling slightly more awake after the unexpected leap out the window. They sat there for a while, both Ranma and Akane, for silent reasons between them, leaning into one another's warmth. A few minutes more…

"…Open your eyes," Ranma whispered in her ear.

Akane slowly opened her eyes, looked around her and gasped.

The sky was incredibly clear that night, and although Nerima had its fair share of lights at night, the stars were glittering all across the night sky.

"Oh, wow," was all Akane could say.

"That's not all I wanted to show you," Ranma added. He glanced at his watch. "It should be any minute now…" 

"What?"

Suddenly, what seemed to be thousands of bright, shimmering trails of white streaked across the sky. It was almost as if the sky were hailing falling stars onto Nerima.

"Look at that, Akane," Ranma said softly, pointing. Akane couldn't say anything, but could only stare up at the meteor shower in awe.

"Do you see that star, Akane?" Ranma asked. "The really bright, winking one."

"Well, that narrows it down," Akane said sarcastically, turning her face upwards. 

"Very funny. Up there, the reddish one? Here, look more to the right," he moved her hand towards the direction he was pointing out. Akane squinted, finding the red star at last.

"Yeah, I see it."

"The first time I saw that star, it made me think of you, a little bit," Ranma said, looking upwards too.

Akane's eyebrows puckered. "What do you mean?"

"Well, since it's red, the first thing I thought of, to be perfectly honest, was your temper," he laughed lightly. Akane faked a scowl. "No, no, hear me out. Then I sort of thought about it a while, and there were other things about it that reminded me of you. …It's different than all the rest of the stars, and that's what makes it unique. Like, if you look at it in comparison to the others, you might not notice it at first… But when you do see it, everything else gets kinda blurry… And then once you look at it long enough, you can't help but pick it out every other time you look up there… And the more you watch it the more you look forward to seeing it every night…"

Akane turned in Ranma's arms, looking him straight in the face. "You really mean that, Ranma?"

Ranma looked a bit taken aback. _Ok, obviously not a good idea to ramble, who knows what I'll end up saying, he thought. "Well, something like that, yeah," he said sheepishly, looking back up to the sky._

Akane turned back to the stars as well, smiling to herself.

Ranma, watching Akane while she was preoccupied, could see the shooting stars reflected in her large brown eyes as she gazed up at the sky. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she was, more so right then than he had ever allowed himself to think.

After a while, Akane closed her eyes sleepily, leaning her head back on Ranma's shoulder. Holding her closer to him, Ranma whispered after a minute or two in her ear. "Akane… Hey, Akane." She appeared to have drifted off. "We should go in."

"Just a bit longer," she whispered, surprising him. She had looked as though she were sleeping.

Ranma later blamed it on crazy impulse. But at that moment, for reasons Ranma himself wasn't even so sure of, he leaned forward just a fraction and kissed Akane's cheek. She stirred slightly, but didn't say anything more. 

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. _What in the name of Kami am I doing? Trying to get myself killed? He supposed he was smiling because of something else, as he gently lifted Akane off the roof and followed the familiar route back down to the house. Swinging down neatly from the roof's drainpipe, as usual, he landed softly on Akane's windowsill. _

Stepping gingerly into her room, Ranma laid Akane down on her bed, covering her with the down comforter to block out the cold of the winter night. 

"Ranma," Akane said suddenly. Ranma started, on his way to the door, thinking she had been asleep.

"Yeah."

"Why did you kiss me? …Up there, on the roof." Akane was very still, her voice soft and quiet, and Ranma found himself wondering if she wasn't talking in her sleep. 

He walked over beside her bed again, and looked down at her, to find a pair of large, bright brown eyes staring back up at him. _Ok, so she isn't asleep after all. She had somehow fooled him a second time. _How the hell does she do that?__

Ranma didn't answer right away. Akane blinked up at him. Ranma took a deep breath.

"That wasn't a kiss."

"What?" Akane had expected him to deny anything, like he usually did, and she was just a bit confused by this point.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a _real kiss, I mean, I just kissed you on the cheek," Ranma said, fidgeting._

Akane didn't say anything. _What is that supposed to mean? He didn't have any intention of kissing me? But a kiss on the cheek is still a kiss… sort of…_

Ranma leaned over Akane, and placed a hand on her pillow, the other on the edge of her bed. To Akane, he looked extremely uncertain, as if he weren't sure of what he was going to say or do next. 

"Akane, don't hate me for this," he said shakily, looking boyishly nervous.

"What are you--" Akane started, more confused than ever. She didn't finish. Ranma moved his hand from her pillow to her chin, closed his eyes, and tried not to miss.

Akane's eyes widened as Ranma's lips brushed lightly against hers, then pressed gently into a very soft, very sweet kiss. 

Akane found she couldn't keep her eyelids from fluttering closed; couldn't keep her hand from reaching up to touch Ranma's face. He slowly pulled away, looking right into her eyes.

"That was a kiss."

AN:

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

*ahem* Sorry, couldn't help myself. 

I figured in my other fics, I always made Ranma so shy with Akane. Which is all fine and dandy, but if I plan on making it back around to TMA in five chapters… *cough* Also, I figured that when left to their own devices, Ranma and Akane would probably be fairly comfortable in each other's presence, they do know each other pretty well. Hehe, I'm SO evil! I love it!

Final chapter comes out tomorrow! IF the site will stop being such a b*tch! ARGH! If it'll let me, don't miss it!

Domo arigatou gozaimashta for all the lovely reviews! And for putting up with the site being like this. No, I'm not dead, it's ff.net, I swear! Every review makes my day, and I'm dragging this damned story over five days to get them, so… yeah. Thanks! Love ya!

::Rain


	5. Chapter Five Finale

**A Bit of an Apology Note/Warning:** Four words that aren't worth what they should be, and I hope you will accept them… because I really do mean them: I. AM. SO. SORRY.

Hontou no hontou! *bursts into tears*

Also, a little note:

This is doomed to be an anticlimax to all I've built you up for and I apologize profusely beforehand. If I could have prevented my ridiculous cocky attitude prior to this (I'm turning into Ranma, run!), I would have saved you the trouble of hoping for something better than mediocre. If you still want to see how it ends (which you basically already know from The Morning After) then douzo, be my guest! I'll love you forever! *bats eyelashes*

**Disclaimer**: IIIII'MMM BAAACCCKKKK… *creepy music*

The Basic Story So Far:

Rain: *walks across the street to buy a bagel, gets run over by a car*

Readers: No! What about The Night Before?! ARGH! You can't die NOW!

Rain: *does oyakusoku pozu* Hmph! *gets up, staggers over to keyboard*

… *Suddenly is hit over the head with a HUGE stack of school papers* WHUMP!

Readers: She's down for the count this time. 

-- weeks later -- 

(actually, more like months, isn't it?)

Rain: *pops up out of nowhere, happy go lucky and insane as ever* Hey, all! *types*

Readers: What the hell? Where did you come from? Who are you?

Rain: Hey! *pouts*

butterfly: Can you believe it! It's the living dead! I remember her! It's Rain!

Readers: Oh, yeah, her.

Rain: (overjoyed at simply being remembered) *dances*

How was that for a comeback disclaimer? Feh, I'm back and I still don't own Ranma. I tried, but like Nabiki said, you can't beat her in court. Damn. *throws hands up in air*

"The Night Before"

by Rain (who is, amazingly, not dead)

**Chapter Five**

Ranma and Akane couldn't do much but stare at each other. Being in a state of shock tends to do that to you. 

Both of them were so surprised (a) at what Ranma had just somehow found the guts to do, and (b) at the fact that they both wanted to try it again.

Uncertainty and doubt, along with general awkwardness won out, and Ranma moved away from Akane, looking everywhere else but at her face. 

"Er…Um, yeah…" He was half hoping she'd interrupt, but nothing doing. Akane was, for once in the vicinity of Ranma, at a loss for words. And mallets.

"…I'll wake you up at 7 …since Kasumi isn't here…" Ranma said clumsily, more to fill the silence than to say anything relevant. "…You usually go jogging, so… yeah…"

Ranma turned and moved to the window, shaking his head exasperatedly. _Jogging? Please… You could have come up with something better than--_ Akane suddenly reached out and took his hand, stopping him short.

"Ranma," she said in a small voice. "Wait…" Ranma looked back at her apprehensively. He felt extremely foolish, and just wanted to sprawl out on his futon in his own room and try and sleep. Which wouldn't be easy, considering what had just happened.

Akane wasn't sure why she held him back. Was it because her heart was fluttering so fast, because her cheeks were slightly warm, because it felt like her insides were doing somersaults? 

She decided it could be any of those and that she didn't care which. Tossing all rational thought aside, Akane pulled Ranma's arm down sharply and, before Ranma could totally loose his balance, caught him halfway to the floor in another kiss. Gentle yet passionate. Somehow, only the kind Ranma and Akane had the talent for. Not long after, she pulled back, looking at Ranma through half-lidded eyes. Akane's heartbeats were pounding so loud in her ears that she was almost afraid something was wrong inside her chest. 

"Stay."

……… 

… A very charged silence followed.

"…Akane…" Ranma was looking very intensely back at her, as if he were trying to find something in her eyes that he needed to see. But whatever it might have been, he found it soon enough. Giving her a small smile, he reached down, cupping the back of her neck, and kissed her again, this time without wondering whether she would mind.

It could have been the buildup of over a year of bickering and hassling and harassing one another that turned that unusual 'something' between them into this moment; could have been the ridiculous circumstances that released the hesitation of both parties into the night air that flowed through the gap in the window. Akane wasn't sure but she didn't care, besides. She couldn't, not when it felt so… right; the feel of Ranma's gentle touch on her skin, the things he could do to her heart rate by simply coming in contact with her in some way… It was a magnetic thing.

"What in the name of Kami are we trying to pull?" Akane laughed quietly to herself. "The start of World War III?" It was meant as a sort of half-joke, but upon further thought, Akane wasn't sure what might result of such a bizarre turn of events. This was Nerima, after all. Post Ranma - as Akane liked to call it - as well.

Ranma laughed a bit too, but touched his forehead to hers and ran his hand up and down her arm reassuringly.

"I could care less what anyone else says, Akane," Ranma began. "For once," he added, smiling; feeling braver than ever before upon broaching that particular subject. 

"Akane," Ranma began, regarding her thoughtfully for a brief time. "Now seems as good as ever to say it. But I have to explain something first, so bear with me."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked, curious and anticipating and nervous all at once. 

"Well…" Ranma chose his words carefully. "When I say this to you, I want it to mean more than I can say in just those few words, if you know what I mean… Er… Give me a sec, I want this to come out right…" he added, thinking _That's__ definitely an issue with you, isn't it?_

Finding the thread of thought he wanted to follow, Ranma tried again. "When I say things to you, I hardly ever mean them the way they come out — which is to say, completely wrong and moronic sounding — and that's mostly the reason I just decide to finish saying the stupid thing and end up babbling… which I am doing right now, actually…" 

He chuckled a bit to himself and tried to finish the thought, yet again. Akane couldn't help thinking _How genuinely Ranma._

"So anyway what I was _trying_ to get at there was… Basically everything I throw at you means something else that I just conveniently leave out. I guess it's so I can half lie to myself, and half lie to you, by pretending I said what I wanted, and that you didn't take it the wrong way. Of course, that's generally a load of bull and doesn't quite work, but I'm usually so afraid of your reaction that I just play it off as general ignorance, which seems to work."

Realization hit Akane. _No wonder he seems so… well… idiotic when he argues with me._

"So I might as well tell you what I mean from now on when I say stupid stuff like that. Kawaikune, for me, is more like you're not cute, but that's what you call puppies or little annoying kids, and that's not how I think of you. To me, you're… you're beautiful." Ranma turned to the side, unable to look at Akane at the moment. Akane blushed and couldn't help but smile. "And I guess 'You're cute when you smile' is more like you're even more beautiful to me when you're smiling. Just like now—"  he looked back to her, and her blush grew deeper; "—and when I say tomboy, well… what if I like tomboys?" He looked very seriously at Akane. "What if I like you just the way you are? Is that so bad?"

Ranma quieted a minute and let this sink in.

"Not at all," she replied finally, looking happier than ever. In all the time she had known Ranma, Akane had never imagined that he could be telling her what he was saying now, and even if she had thought of it before, it wouldn't have felt this good.

"… And when I tell you… When I say 'I love you'…" Akane stiffened, caught a bit off guard. "What I mean isn't only that… I just those three words I want you to think of all the others that come with it… It means that you make everything real for me, and better than I could myself. It means you make a better person out of me, regardless of what other people say about us. It means that I want you to wear this—" he slipped a ring on her finger "—if you feel the same, because I want to spend the rest of my days with you, if you don't mind this crazy life I bring along with me. It means that you're the only girl for me. That's what I mean when I tell you I love you."

Akane trapped Ranma in a fierce hug that lasted a long while. She only pulled back to whisper a quick "Understood" before she kissed him once again.

It was so strange to the both of them; it hardly felt like the first time they had ever come in contact with one another like this. It was, but then again it wasn't. To anyone who didn't know Ranma or Akane well, they most likely wouldn't have seen the small steps taken, ever so subtly, one at a time, beginning almost from the first day.

Things were slowly growing more passionate, necessitating only a few short breaths before one would meet the other again.

"Akane…" Ranma whispered hoarsely in her ear, ruffling the tufts of her midnight hair that spread across the pillow. "…I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Neither do I," she said. 

They were quiet for a while; Akane staring at the ceiling over Ranma's shoulder, Ranma tangling his fingers in Akane's hair, silvery from the moonlight pouring through her bedroom window. 

They looked at each other again. There really wasn't anything to say. Except…

Ranma caught sight of the ring, looking as if it belonged no where else than on Akane's finger. He took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze.

"But you could say we know enough."

Everything seemed to have been flipped upside down, but maybe they looked better this way.

One half met the other once again, and it went on from there.

Fin.

A/N::

First and foremost… Arigatou Gozaimashta!!! *bows* You people rock my world. Even as I'm in a slump I get these awesome reviews, and it inspires me not to give up! I really was thinking of killing this one, but thanks to you patient people, here I am. Yes, you rock my ridiculously crazed and random world. ^^

But, like I said before, after all that buildup, it was an anticlimax, wasn't it? Gomen ne! I really wanted it to be so much more than it ended up being, but… Argh! The world is against me these days. Besides, I became suddenly and madly obsessed with an entire new idea for a BIG multi-chapter fic that I really am getting into, and WOW! It's been a fun few weeks, sans the death threats that is. ^^;;

So… Yeah, I'm not dead, lol. Disappointed? ^_~

I was having a LOT of trouble deciding whether or not to post this chapter as is, or go a bit further. If I had decided to go a bit further, I would have had some more writing to do, and some gaps to fill, so I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go. But I've _finally come to a decision that makes me happy, and lets you all finally find out that, yes, I'm still alive!  _

See, the end of this chapter could have been an ending all by itself, but I could also have gone on from here, so that's why I was in limbo for a while there. But I decided to just stick to this one last chapter, so now that I know what I'm going to do, it's all good. 

I'm so sorry, though! I'm so guilty about this, I promised myself I'd never make people wait for posts like authors I've read in the past have, because I know it drives you crazy. But one thing led to another, I was still really unsure where I wanted to take it, and suddenly this huge 7 page paper was due for English, so I had to write that, and then a big French project came, and then _another_ huge ass English project that's like 40% of my final grade and whoa! was I busy all of a sudden. It's getting to that point of the school year where the teachers look at their calendar and go "Hey, it's almost May! Time to kill the kids!" But there's a bit of a calm in the storm, if a small one, so I'm taking full advantage of it.

It's not quite time to give up on me, just yet! …Although I think I might deserve it. ^^; 

We'll see what comes of this mess… Thank you all so much for at least reading to chapter four! 

:: Rain

P.S. And this is very important to me…

Anyone who wants me to read a story they've written, or that is in progress, I would love to hear from you! I'm interested in building up my reading/review history, and I need some good stuff to work with, so let me know if you're interested in my opinions, lol. I love reading all of your stuff and hope to hear of more of it in the future. Also, I love posting fanart for people, I just need to get a new scanner, hehe… but hey, the thought is there! Ok, enough of this twaddle. Mata ne.


	6. Announcement 1 now obsolete

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:

   I am taking a leave-of-absence from fanfiction.net for about the next 10 months. 

   Wait! Don't start throwing blunt objects just yet! I have a good reason.    

   A Fanfiction/Fanart based magazine has approached me and asked me to submit fanfiction to them for the chance at publication in one or more of their issues. As those of you who are my email-tag-pals most likely have heard from me, I have a large multi-chapter fic in the works that I was planning on posting sometime around late-August/early-September. Instead of doing this, I am going to submit it to this magazine instead and cross my fingers like hell.

   "Why? Why don't you love us anymore? Why can't you post on ff.net too?!" cry my readers, and I apologize for taking back my word. The reason is that the magazine has guidelines that any story I submit can't be posted on any online database beforehand, and, if it gets published, can't appear online for at least 9 months. So it'll be a WHILE before you see my long story on ff.net. However, I've got a little one-shot that I'm working on that I will post on ff.net just for all of you. It's going to be called "Type A is for Akane," and (unless the magazine convinces me to submit this one too) you will be seeing it soon. If not, well, dammit! I have my reasons.

   If any of you can't wait 10 months to see anything from me, feel free to email me whenever and ask me to send you my stories by email when I've finished writing them and I'll do that for you, no problem.

   Thanks so much everyone for making ff.net a place that I'm hesitant to take a break from! All the reviews were unforgettable. I'll be back around sometime next year.

   Lots of love,

::crazy ol' Rain


	7. Announcement Very Important: Please Rea...

ANNOUNCEMENT:

This is not a formal apology. Anyone who is upset by the following message, please email me and I'd like to apologize to each of my friends and readers personally.

I am now officially retiring from ff.net.

Any questions or comments about my reasons, please email me at deathbylambcat@ftml.net. Any flames, cuss outs or likewise can be wrapped in a neat little package and sent to my summer home, Hell. *satisfied smile* 

Thank you for everything.

::Rain


	8. Announcement 2 am I the only one tiring ...

Yes, people, I AM retired. The magazine is making me (cries). But please email me if you are interested in me sending the stories to you via email (since they can't be posted on a webpage of any kind, according to the Magazine Submission Rules), and I will add your name and email to my long-ass Send-To List.

Thanks,

::Rain

e-mail: deathbylambcat@ftml.net

AIM: apathetic shrug

Yahoo ID: mukashi_izumi

MSN: highland_rat@hotmail.com


	9. Big News! Hooray!

**Hello everyone! Yet another illegal chapter update! But I couldn't think of any other way to get my news around so effectively.**

**Sorry to create even MORE confusion among my readers (I didn't even think that was possible), but here is the final verdict on what I have now not-so-lovingly dubbed 'The Faniac Magazine Fiasco.'**

**The following are excerpts from an actual conversation that took place between myself and a good friend of mine, Erin, over AIM late one dusky and mysterious evening. (Well not really, but what do you care? I get my devious kicks where I can.)**

**Rain: **Oh god, I don't know if I can do this. They also demand lots of editing and cutting. I hate butchering my own work, even if it is under the (perhaps false) guise of "helpful literary criticism."

**Erin****:  What the hell are you putting yourself through this for!******

**Rain:  **I forgot, or I never knew, lol. Honestly, I don't think this is for me, or I just haven't got the heart to sell myself short for a long shot. Probably a bit of both.

**Erin****:  SO DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!******

**Rain :**  Now we're talking.

Here's what I need to do… My Mission Statement for the Year!

1. Haul my ugly ass piece of shaisa old computer into Kinko's and hook the damn thing up to a printer.

2. Print out the entirety of my 5 novels (in-progress) that exist on it's dangerously moody C drive.

3. Post it in script format as it exists on www.fictionpress.net (with lengthy author's notes explaining WHY it's in script format - AKA I'm testing the waters for the original story idea, which is certainly and indefinitely subject to change).

4. RE-write the entire series from the beginning.

5. Buy the rest of the Ranma books (30-35 and 37-38).

6. Find a complete translation of the above (no wait, found that already).

7. Outline and map out Catalyst to the last T.

8. Write it and post it in chapter installments.

9. Die of the stress resulting from all of the above

*looks everything over* Sounds like a plan, don't it?

**Erin****:  FUCK!******

**Rain:  **Cheers to that. *raises a random glass*

I would have wanted to submit fanART to Faniac instead, BUT they have another long-ass annoying wheezy list of guidelines I could give a damn about, and I really should be concentrating on my own work.

Which reminds me…  

10. Complete and re-do lost character designs for my comic, and practice the HELL out of sketching them until I basically want to take a lighter to my sketchbook and just torch it, lol.

**Erin****:  Never mind you go to school 7 hours a day!******

**Rain:  **Very true, very true. 

But in light of all this self-discovery, I have but one thing to say, and it feels damn good … 

"GO TO HELL, FANIAC! I've got more than enough talent and spunk to make a name for myself!"

**Erin****:  DAMN STRAIGHT!**

**Rain:  ***applauds* Cheers to that as well.****

**Erin****:  Life's a bitch…******

**Rain:  …**and so am I! *cackles evilly for several minutes*

Hey, can I use parts of this conversation to post a new announcement to my wonderful, understanding and supportive fans on ff.net? Who don't run me through a million guidelines just to appreciate what I have to contribute?

**Erin:  **Surely!****

**Rain:  **All right! *dances crazily*

**So, there you have it. **

**Any questions, comments, and the like, email me at **deathbylambcat@ftml.net**. **

**Thanks for all the interest in the Mailing List and such that would have been necessary, had I sold my soul to the devil that is Faniac. (No offense to them, really. *cackle*)**

**Thanks again everyone! Hope to hear from you!**

**P.S. However, everyone that did email me asking to be on the Mailing List will be hearing from me a bit before the first chapters of Catalyst are due for release, as I promised.**

**I may be down, but I sure as hell ain't out! Muahahahaha… **

**::the ever-crazy, yet newly empowered **

**… Rain**


	10. End the confusion!

It seems there's been a great deal of confusion regarding my prior announcement in Update Chapter 9, so I am breaking the rules yet AGAIN (please don't report me! I don't have any other way to get the news out! Sorry! I really am!)

Here's the condensed, hopefully less-confusing version of the last update:

I am NOT retired from ff.net anymore.

I was sick of bending my life and stories around all the damned guidelines that cranky magazine was giving me before I could even be _considered for publication, so I decided "To hell with them!" and am back!_

Yes, people, I'm back. 

Muahahaa…

Expect the first few chapters of "Catalyst" within the next two or three weeks, posted ON ff.net. No more need for the Mailing list, but everyone who emailed me and such asking to be on it, thank you so much for your interest, time and concern! I really appreciate it.

So, within the next few weeks Catalyst will be released. No more crap from pissy magazines with a zillion guidelines. As I said to Erin in the previous update, ". I hate butchering my own work, even if it is under the (perhaps false) guise of 'helpful literary criticism.'" So, there you go.

Woohoo! I'm an empowered woman! Rock the vote! (Heh, I love saying that, especially for no good reason *cackle*).

Signed, your faithful and newly un-retired,

::Rain


End file.
